Qualifications, Take Two
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So, qualifications didn't go forward to well the first time, mainly because I had a faulty weapon. So I got to be one of those people that everyone looks at and laughs at behind their back because I was a loser who didn't qualify.
All of us Losers got sent to the SIM Center to get familiarization on the weapons to make sure that we DID qualify our second time around. Yes, this is the very same SIM center that produced this infamous photograph.  They popped me on an M4 and told me to zero. The weapon was zeroed in 9 rounds. Then they similated a qualification range, complete with 50 to 300 meter targets spaced 50 meters apart. They had me in the prone position and with a 20 round magazine, I was given 20 targets. One shot, one kill.  Um, I missed the first one, a 50 Meter target because of the lame excuse that i wasn't aware that they had started yet. But if you count the gimme round of a 50 meter target, I would have shot 19 out of 20. The second round of shots didn't knock all the targets down, just most of them, but the computer was showing that the ones I missed were extremely close.
The training NCO was calling me lethal and mentioned that he would share a foxhole with me. So, it WASN'T me after all. I was the first to qualify on the Simulation, Sharpshooter. While everyone else was still trying to zero, they decided to let me hop on one of the other weapons and just practice familiarization. The weapon they threw me on? You guessed it, the M203 Grenade Launcher. I was qualifying on the Rifle portion of it of course, but it was the whole irony that counts. Unfortunately, the computer simulation for that specific weapon was, shall we say, entirely out of whack. Half of the shots were hitting completely off screen, and I knew I didn't jerk the weapon THAT much. Couldn't get it zeroed for the life of me. But for posterity sake, or rather, for kicks and giggles, I decided to redo the infamous 'Not Sorry' pose.  I think the classic was better. Mainly because my hair's been doing some funky things lately. As for the actual qualification, that happened yesterday. During the day I dropped my weapon twice trying to mess with my equipment. In the army, if you drop your weapon, you drop with it. Because I dropped it twice, I should have done 20 push-ups for each time. I made a promise to the rifle. If it didn't jam up while qualifying unlike the last time, I would knock out those push-ups. And i had thoroughly scowered the thing that morning as well as the night before. Anyway, I learned a lesson qualifying. Supported Foxhole Position is definitely my Strong Suit. 19 out of 20, missed the second 300 meter target. That had me psyched. Didn't do as well in the prone unsupported, it was always the weaker of the two. Scored a 12 out of 20 shots on it, and of all things, I missed a 100 Meter target? Twice??? GAAAHHH!!! Of course, that was toward the end, where the shifting of my body to aim the weapon had my elbows shifting farther and farther apart so I couldn't get a good site picture. I averaged Expert marksmanship in the foxhole, a mere Marksman in the Prone, that averages out to be a Sharpshooter between the two. Looking for any and all advice to improve in the Prone Unsupported Position, becuase I vow the next time I will get expert. I will. That is another goal before the end of this deployment. Now I owe my rifle 40 push-ups. A little cleaning and some CLP does wonders to an M16.
Posted by Erickson on 11:41 AM : (((
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